After two years of work in the creation of Our Bones are Made of Salmon, the Fraser River Discovery Centre unveiled its newest exhibit with a traditional Coast Salish ceremony on Saturday. Enjoying the festivities - which included drumming, songs, dancing, and samples of wind-dried salmon and bannock - the gathered crowd experienced aboriginal traditions and the protocols of an honouring ceremony.
Designed around the memories and experiences of Musqueam Elder Larry Grant and Stó: lo¯ cultural advisor Dr.
Sonny McHalsie, Our Bones are Made of Salmon celebrates the enduring traditions of aboriginal salmon fishing and winddrying in the Fraser Canyon. Through a storytelling video that shares their stories and replicas of aboriginal salmon fishing tools, visitors learn about the different fishing and preservation techniques and why salmon fishing is vital to aboriginal communities today.
Earlier this month, the Discovery Centre unveiled the accompanying education program by offering 16 pilot programs to local grade four classes. The education program includes a salmon stories film and two hands-on stations where students explore aboriginal fishing technology and learn how to wind-dry salmon.
The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m seven days a week. For more information, call 604-521-8401 or go to www.fraser riverdiscovery.org. The centre is on the boardwalk at 788 Quayside Dr.
